Worship and Obey--and the Lord Will Provide

Help us to worship and obey You (Genesis 22:4, 18).

This is an important prayer for those in need of God’s provision because God revealed Himself to Abraham as Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord Will Provide (Genesis 22:14). Context in Scripture is always important, and when we look at Genesis 22 we find that Abraham was a man of worship, who by this time in his life obeyed the Lord immediately and without question.

God had told Abraham to take Isaac, his “only son whom he loved” and sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah. Abraham didn’t hesitate. Even as Abraham raised the knife to slay his son, the angel of the Lord stopped him. Abraham saw a ram caught in the thicket—God’s provision for the sacrifice. It was there that God identified Himself as Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord Will Provide.

What is the lesson for us? Certainly this gives us a glimpse of God giving His only beloved Son as a sacrifice for us, once for all. But it is also a picture of our God who wants to provide for our every need. He is our Provider! However, in context, to whom did God reveal Himself as Jehovah-Jireh? To Abraham, a man who worshiped and obeyed Him.

God can provide anything to anyone. But doesn’t it make sense that if we want to be certain of His provision, we should be those who worship and obey Him as Abraham did?